This blog is an attempt to preserve, document & share Pakistan's contemporary & traditional culinary heritage. It tells stories and shares recipes from my maternal grand mother and mother's kitchens along with my own stories and memories of growing up in Pakistan.

Saturday, 2 March 2013

Allo Gosht & Thunder Cats

I was about 13 when Pakistan's first private television channel - NTM started broadcasting. Thunder cats became my
favorite cartoons back then. The Thunder Cats used to be aired
around dinner time. Meaning all of us siblings will be fixated around the tv while having dinner. Ammi gave up on trying to station us at the dinner table while our favorite cartoons were on. Our favorite dinner was potato and meat curry served with a paratha while watching our favorite cartoons. Life was perfect!

It still amazes me how a 13 year
old could eat parathas without any guilt or even a remote thought of weight
gain. Now i feel that even the thought of having a buttered paratha adds couple of pounds to
ones waist. I am sharing my favorite curry recipe in the loving memory of my favorite cartoons, guilt free Paratha
eating and being a 13 year old. At the same time i am thankful to the cosmic forces for letting my generation grow up without Hanna Montana. Maryam this
is for you. Thank you for sending me down the memory lane.

Potato and meat curry can be served with pea pulao, home made chappati - flat bread or buttered paratha.

Now add 350 ml ( 1 ½ cups) of
water and put the cover on to pressure cook.

The pressure cooking time for the
meat depends on the meat itself. I needed about 15 minutes of pressure cooking
to cook the mutton I had. (You might need more or less).

After 15 mins depressurize the
cooker under cold water and open it.
Check if the meat is tender or not. (If it is not done yet then pressure
cook it further for 5-10 mins. Replenish with a little bit of more water.)

Once the meat is tender then
remove the meat from the cooker and let it rest in a plate while you work on
the gravy. This ensures that the meat does not break down in further cooking.

Now increase the heat and dry up
the water in the mixture. It should become thick and the oil should come out on
the sides (see the photo).

Now add potatoes and the already
cooked meat. Add 450ml (2 cups) of water and let it boil on high heat.

Once it starts boiling reduce the
heat and let it simmer. The aim is to cook the potatoes and the oil comes up on
the surface. It can take between 15-25 mins(see the photo).